Job Specification
Position Title:
Senior Policy Advisor
Job Code:
6A007 - Policy06
Purpose :
- To lead and/or conduct the research, analysis, and development of more complex provincial air quality and climate change policy development.
- To develop strategies for specific, assigned major policy areas (e.g. strategies and issues management).
- To represent the ministry on specific air quality and climate change initiatives.
Key Responsibilities :
1. Policy Development and Analysis
- Leads and/or conducts policy research, development and issue analysis as it relates to renewable energy and energy conservation.
- Consults with and works in collaboration with stakeholder partners and other divisions, ministries, and governments, to develop and implement policy and programs that are comprehensive and balance competing interests and immediate and long term considerations impacting the environment, economic development, and energy planning.
- Identifies, interprets and researches/ analyzes emerging issues (e.g., ethanol, emissions monitoring), trends and developments, and provides recommendations and strategies/solutions to senior management and to ministry climate change/electricity policy specialists.
- Prepares and ensures that documents are accurate and reflect the ministry's position.
2. Stakeholder Consultation and Advice
- Develops and maintains contacts with key internal and external stakeholder groups, including other provinces and federal counterparts in the sector, to enable consultation and collaboration on research endeavours, to provide/exchange research data and results, and to consult on policy options/solutions.
- Provides advice and expertise to stakeholders and other levels of government to provide, promote air quality / climate change issues, environmental programs, explanations of risk and prevention strategies and the government decisionmaking process.
- Ascertains provincial interests and represents the province during consultations.
Knowledge/Skill :
Knowledge of and skills in:
- Environmental air quality / climate change issues (e.g. smog and ground level ozone)
- Emissions/energy trading, environmental sciences and economics, theories, principles and practices of environmental air protection, public administration, and federal/provincial environmental
legislation/regulations/programs, existing policies and programs and new policy directions, to lead and/or undertake policy/program development and program analysis to achieve the government's objectives.
- Provincial and ministry strategic directions and key objectives pertaining to the sector/program area, relevant legislation, models of service/program delivery, and critical issues impacting the sector, to identify key issues and findings in research, and to recommend options.
- Program management and evaluation techniques to coordinate and assess the effectiveness of new/changed policies and programs and to provide recommendations on policy and program change.
- Research and analytical techniques, including, quantitative and qualitative research from multi-jurisdictional sources, and costing of programs/policy changes, in support of policy and program decision-making.
- Oral and written communications and public consultation and communication principles and methods, to lead consultations and negotiations with other ministries, industry sectors and governments and to draft policy papers, reports, analyses, draft correspondence, briefing notes, and materials for cabinet submissions.
- Computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, database management, and presentation software to research and prepare briefing materials and policy submissions.
Interpersonal/Influencing Skill :
- Consultation and advisory skills to provide advice, policy options and strategies to senior management, policy specialists, and other levels of government.
- Facilitation and presentation skills to provide convincing explanations on risk and prevention issues and strategies to other government bodies and stakeholders.
- Negotiation and consensus building skills to work cooperatively with other Divisions, ministries, levels of Government, environmental NGOs, and industry, in the development and implementation of programs and policy, ensuring that Ontario's positions and interests are represented and advanced.
Analyzing/Problem Solving Skill :
Analytical and problem-solving skills to:
- Assess and manage contentious issues, provide technical advice, and risk and prevention analysis.
- Evaluate and monitor emerging trends, directions, and issues, that have broad public policy implications related to air quality and climate change.
- Analyze and distil multiple sources of information/scientific data, and consider quantitative/ qualitative factors, to assess impacts and make recommendations on current policies or programs.
- Conceptualize strategies/solutions to issues that balance the competing interests of multiple stakeholders in other ministries, government, and the industrial sector.
Decision Making/Responsibility :
Responsible for:
- Reviewing, interpreting legislation and regulations to support programs that govern air quality, climate change and environmental protection.
- Formulating and recommending policy options to advance the ministry's mandate, identifying contentious issues and providing policy expertise/advice to senior management and stakeholders.
- Leading and or undertaking quantitative and qualitative research in support of policy development processes to provide policy recommendations to senior management on emissions reduction and air related issues.
- Providing advice and sector /program expertise when representing branch/ministry interests to other ministries, industry stakeholders, and other levels of government.
Has latitude to recommend strategic policy options/initiatives, and to propose and lead research studies. Decisionmaking is guided by government policy/program development processes/ practices, electricity and energy policy work, legislation, and regulations governing global air and environmental protection.
Contacts/Stakeholders :
- Ministry senior management, the Deputy Minister and the Minister, to provide strategic advice and policy expertise on the emissions reduction program, and on related electricity/energy policy issues and initiatives.
- Senior policy counterparts in other divisions/ OPS ministries/agencies to consult and collaborate on program and policy development, to provide advice/information on the ministry policy and program requirements, to resolve identified issues, and to collaborate.
- External stakeholders (i.e. Environmental, Scientific/Academic organizations, Industries and Non-Government-Organizations) for policy consultation/implementation, research and liaison, to discuss regulatory requirements, and to promote risk and prevention strategies.
Guidance/Supervision :
- Provides technical guidance and policy expertise to ministry policy advisors to ensure policy objectives are met.
- Provides project leadership to teams to ensure that project priorities and deliverables are met.
- Provides advice and information on science, technical issues, proposed policy and programs to other government counterparts.
- Mentors and trains new staff members.
Work Demands :
- Frequently required to complete work within short deadlines to respond to the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister and conflicting work demands during the regulatory amendment process.
- Frequently deals with unexpected work, changing priorities and tight deadlines; sometimes has limited control over the pace and immediate focus of work.
Mental/Sensory :
- Frequently required to concentrate intently while reading research reports, analysis and correspondence and while writing reports, policy proposals, and briefings.
- Required to accurately assess and respond to issues raised by the Minister, Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister during briefings.
Conditions/Environment :
Work is performed in a typical office environment.